James “Jim” Welch, 74 of Davenport, IA; went to be with his Lord and Savior on September 10, 2020. Funeral Services will be held on Tuesday, September 15, 2020 at 10am at Trinity Lutheran Church, Davenport, IA. Visitation will be held on Monday, September 14, 2020 from 5-7pm at Weerts Funeral Home. Burial will be at Pine Hill Cemetery following the service. Memorials in Jim’s name may be made to Trinity Lutheran Church School, the United Marriage Encounter, or to Clarissa C Cook Hospice House.
Jim was born August 30, 1946 to Francis “Frank” and Josephine Welch in San Antonio, TX. He attended Concordia College in Austin, TX, earning his Associates Degree; he later earned his Bachelor’s Degree from Concordia College Nebraska. Jim met the love of his life, Donna Felzien, while teaching in Illinois; they later got married on June 25, 1971. While living in Wisconsin, he helped to organize and then became the president of the local Little League Chapter.
Jim was an active member at Trinity Lutheran Church; serving as an Elder for many years and as a teacher. Following retirement as a teacher, Jim began Welch Painting and Maintenance. He was the founder and president of the Glen Armil Neighborhood Association. Along with gardening, Jim loved railroads; he was the President of the Rock Island Technical Society, was a historian of the Rock Island Line, and loved model trains. He was also very involved with the United Marriage Encounter group. Most of all, Jim devoted his life to serving Christ as a teacher, elder, and through his various other positions that he held in the community. His lasting legacy is his family who loves Christ just as much as he did.
Those left to honor Jim’s memory are his wife, Donna; sons Tim (Jessica) Welch and Doug (Megan) Welch; grandchildren Brody, Drew, Chance Daily, Thomas, and Connor; and his sister Carolyn Pavlovsky. He was preceded in death by his parents and his brother in law Paul Pavlovsky.
